Redemption (21 page)

“Okay,” I murmur.

“Okay.”

“So we’re going back to England?”

“I think its best. We still need to figure
out whom the traitor is working with Deacon.” He runs his fingers
gently over my lips.

“Will Gage be coming with us?” I gently kiss
his fingers.

“Yeah, siren, he’ll be with us. The
council’s request needs to be upheld so we’ll play nice. I’ll call
Marcus and have the Manhattan clan meet us over there too and reach
out to Michael and let him know the plan.” Asher moves closer and
leaves a gentle kiss on my temple.

I groan. “As much as I’m looking forward to
seeing Marcus, Morgana is not on my list of favorite
gargoyles.”

Asher’s lips tug into a smirk as he pulls
back. “I’m yours, siren. Trust in that.”

No longer wanting to discuss Morgana, I
change topics. “I haven’t seen Michael since the night they dropped
the parent bomb. Is he hiding from me?” My index finger runs over
his bottom lip.
Good Lord, he has the yummiest mouth
ever.

“As a warrior of Heaven, Michael follows
orders. The only way he is allowed to come is if instructed to by
the Angelic Council. Otherwise, he isn’t permitted,” he
explains.

“It’s so weird to think of him with my
aunt.” My finger stills, lingering on his mouth.

“Do you want to talk about it, siren?” He
playfully bites my hand.

“No.” I smirk and pull it away.

“I’m sorry you had to deal with that without
me. The Angelic Council has rules. Once in the meetings, we’re not
permitted to leave for any reason. I’m glad Gage was there
though.”

“We ended up watching the
Smurfs
, so
it’s all good,” I tease.

Asher’s face scrunches. “The
Smurfs
?”

“It’s a long story.” I smile.

“One for another time then?” He moves
closer, running his nose along my chin before resting in the crook
of my neck. “No more drinking alone with Gage, yeah?”

I nod. “Agreed.”

“I’m your safe haven. You need something,
you come to me. Only,” he orders.

“I love you,” I reply.

“Forever, siren.”

“Forever,” I whisper.

***

“I’m surprised at you, love bug,” my aunt
Elizabeth says.

“I just need some time to focus on other
things,” I offer in a weak tone.

She sighs over the phone. “I suppose,
technically, you’re an adult now. I don’t like it.”

“One semester. Two tops. Then I’ll return
and graduate. I promise.” I try to ignore the disappointment lining
her voice. I recall the difficulty I had getting her to agree to
let me go in the first place.

“Okay,” she whispers before we fall into an
odd silence.

“Thanks for understanding. I should get
going, Asher wants to be in London by morning.”

“Eve, we still need to talk about what
happened when you were home last,” she says.

“I’m not ready. Please respect that.” I
blink away the sting in my eyes.

Her heartbreak floats over the line. She
clears her throat. “I’ll respect your need for space, for now. I
love you, and when you’re ready, I’ll be here.” Her tone is strong
and maternal.

I sniff once. “I’ll be in touch.” I hang up
quickly so I don’t fall apart.

“Elizabeth?” Gage’s masculine voice drifts
into my room.

I throw my iPhone on the bed and turn to
face him. “Yep.”

“How’s the hangover, love?” His gaze
collides with mine as his lips tilt in a smirk.

“Let’s just say tequila is off the table
moving forward,” I retort, narrowing my eyes at him.

He chuckles. “Agreed.”

“Well, that was easy,” I mutter.

“Your gargoyle might actually kill me if I
got you inebriated a second time.” He winks.

I shift uncomfortably. “Most of the night is
fuzzy.” I leave the words hanging in the air.

“We talked. You puked on me and I took you
home. Abby cleaned you and then your protector proceeded to
threaten my existence and blame me for placing you in danger,” he
lists off casually.

My entire body relaxes. I pinch my brows.
“Sorry about the vomit…and Asher.”

He smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“Nothing a dry cleaner and my fist connecting with his jawline
couldn’t fix.”

“Asher mentioned you and he spoke?” I tread
lightly.

Gage leans against the doorway. “We did.
After he threatened my life, he wanted to know if I had any insight
into your mindset. He’s concerned with your choices when it comes
to me. I simply explained you need a little normalcy in your life,
and that not everything has to be about the ascension and
protection.”

“I’m sure that went over well.” I bite my
lip.

“My advice earned me a bruised rib,” he says
sheepishly.

I wince. “Sorry.”

“Not your fault, love.”

“Actually, it is. Asher tends to be a little
overprotective.”

Gage feigns shock. “You don’t say.”

I smile. “He’s agreed to work on it.”

“I’m sure he has.” He laughs but it’s
hollow.

I just watch Gage for a moment, remembering
how Fiona mentioned he was once part of this family. Curious as to
why he keeps pushing them away.

“Is it just Camilla that stands between you
and Asher becoming close again?” I ask.

Gage’s expression drops. “There’s a lot of
history there, love that you can’t possibly appreciate because you
are not from our world. How we relate to one another now won’t
change overnight. Nor do I think either of us is ready for it to
alter. Some things are just supposed to remain what they are.”

“I can’t help but feel sad for the strain in
your relationship with the London clan. Fiona made it sound like
you all were close growing up together. Don’t you miss that?” I
question.

“I miss Camilla, love,” he responds
roughly.

“I might not comprehend the full extent of
your history with one another, but I certainly can relate to the
feeling of loneliness, Gage. Regardless of what you think, this
clan did not turn their back on you or Camilla. I know Asher like I
know myself. He would never have let her die if he knew what the
council and your father were up to,” I assure him.

“It’s nice to see your undying loyalty to
him is back, and intact, love,” Gage muses and stands straighter,
getting ready to flee. “Bad blood is bad blood. It can’t be
extracted.” He ends the conversation.

“When you be joining us in London?” I change
the subject.

“I’ll meet you there in a few days. I have
some things to attend to first. If you need anything, I’ll be
staying on the second floor of the flats,” he says.

“You run off a lot for someone who doesn’t
hold appointments with either the Secular or Protector Councils,” I
point out curious as to why he always flees just as we get
close.

“I have businesses to run, love,” he lies.
Just when he starts to get close to us, he runs.

“Family and friends aren’t a weakness,
Gage,” I respond.

“In my world, love, alliances and kinships
are weaknesses. You’d do well to learn that lesson now before
things get even uglier in yours. Trust me, love, you’ve seen how
dark my world is first hand, with Aria. Take your eye off the ball,
even for a second, and it’s over,” Gage’s warning like a punching
me in the gut. “A fragile heart will get you killed.”

At the reminder of Aria, my heart shatters
all over again. God, I miss her so much. My eyes slide behind him,
focusing on the hallway.

“That’s an unfair statement,” I scold.

Gage’s posture becomes rigid as he steps
toward me with intent. “Make no mistake, the Dark Army is lethal.
They don’t care about love, friendship, or kin. This longstanding
war is only about them,” he points to the sky, “and them,” he
redirects his finger to the floor. “You, love, are simply a pawn.
Mankind is disposable, and the ground you are standing on, it means
nothing to either side. Only one side can come out of this the
victor, and trust me, it won’t be either of us standing at the
end.”

“That’s certainly a pessimistic view
point.”

“It’s reality, love.”

“What if I don’t like the reality you’re
portraying?”

Gage’s face softens. “Then you’re already
dead before you’ve even begun.”

I just hold his stare. “I’ll see you
soon.”

“Until then,” he offers before
disappearing.

With my arms crossed, I glance around my
room and blow out a strained breath, rubbing my chest at the
realization that this path I’m on is about to become even darker.
Can I handle it? The longer I spend time with this clan, the more
they become family. If anything ever happened to even one of them,
I wouldn’t survive.

Apparently, Gage’s heart isn’t the only
fragile one on this journey.

15
Live For Me

Asher’s eyes meet mine,
forcing me to suck in a breath at the rawness they’re emitting.
Holy shit.
He prowls at me from the sunken living room in
his London flat. I’ve been standing on the terrace since we arrived
an hour ago, admiring the view of Hyde Park. However, his intense
presence forces my focus to shift away from the warm sunrise to the
beauty that is all Asher St. Michael.

I need a distraction before I do something
embarrassing like jump him and give his neighbors a show with their
morning scones and tea. My gaze brushes over the flat. The last
time I was here, Deacon had gotten past the protection spell and
kidnapped me. As I understand it, Asher went ballistic and
destroyed the apartment.

“It’s nice to see the flat’s put back
together.” I motion to the living room.

Asher smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“I stayed here during my absence from your protection while the
council continued their investigation. Fiona and the clowder helped
me, ah, reassemble it.” His eyes shift, like it hurts him to look
at me.

I inch toward him. “I’m happy to be here.
It’s like returning home.”

He knits his brows. “I thought you felt La
Gargouille Manor was home?”

I shake my head slowly. “No. This flat is
all us. I feel like it’s our special place.”

His jaw tightens as he moves closer, caging
me against the railing with one hand on either side of me. “Do you
know why I ripped this place apart when Deacon got you?”

“Tell me,” I whisper.

“When you disappeared, siren, I was pissed.
Walking around the flat, your presence was everywhere. Your smell,
your belongings, every corner of this damn space reminded me of
you. Somewhere along the line, you became my home. Don’t ever
fucking leave me again. I don’t think I could handle it, siren. I
really don’t. I don’t ever want to feel that way again,” he pleads,
dropping his forehead to mine.

I stare at his chest, not wanting to meet
his eyes. “To feel what way?”

“Out of control. Lost. Scared. I tried to
fight those feelings, because that’s what I’m supposed to do as
your protector, but fuck, siren, when it comes to you, my need to
protect you is so fucking overwhelming, it scares the shit out of
me,” he admits.

My chest heaves at his honesty as he places
a knee between my legs and pushes me even further into the railing.
His lips dip toward my neck as he lightly nips at the spot on my
pulse.

“You don’t have to protect me so closely,
Ash. I can handle some things you know.”

He removes his lips from my neck and pulls
back, looking me in the eyes before his finger grazes up my throat
then my cheek and finally tucking a strand of my hair behind my
ear. As he removes his hand, he lets it linger on my jawline.

“You’re mine to protect. I will protect you,
always.”

My eyes lift and lock onto his, they’re
glossed over with such passion, that it’s hard for me to take in
oxygen. Asher covers my body with his and kisses me hard, literally
taking my breath away. Finally, when we can’t take the lack of air
any longer, he moves away.

Panting, he attempts to catch his breath
before sniffing me.

“You stink.”
What the hell?

Yanked out of my Asher bliss, I narrow my
eyes at him.

“What?”

His lips tilt in a coy smile. “You smell,
siren,” he says in a quiet voice.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I
screech. “You know, Asher, sometimes, I wonder if you’re lying to
me about being in your first life cycle, because no grown, adult
male would say something so appallingly childish.” I huff
angrily.

Asher throws his head back in laughter
before pulling my hips firmly to his. “I’m sorry, siren, but if I
can’t be honest with you, then who will be?”

I try to yank out of his grip, which only
challenges him to tighten his hold. “I didn’t say you smelled bad.”
He tries to make it better. “We’ve been traveling and I think we
could both use a shower. What do you say?” His eyes hold mine.

My brows lift. “Are you asking me to shower
with you?”

Asher’s face darkens. “That wasn’t my plan,
but now that you bring it up, siren. That sounds like a brilliant
idea. Plus, we’d be saving water. Showering with a friend and
all.”

My jaw drops at his foolishness.

“Seriously, you’re making it hard not to
smack the beautiful right off of you,” I comment.

He gives me his signature sexy smirk and
leans in closer so his lips are at my ear.

“Eve Marie Collins, would you do me the
honor of showering with me?” His voice is sexy.

I bite my lip, considering his question,
because honestly, there is nothing I would love more than to soap
him up and lick all the water off him. However, I totally need to
freshen up before that happens.
Girlie? Yes.

“No?” It comes out more of a question than a
statement.

“No?” he repeats.

“It’s a word used in the English language,
Ash, to decline requests, such as yours.”